Frequently Asked Questions
Although I do not live in the NWT, can I still adopt a child from the NWT?
For departmental adoptions (children in care of the Director of Child and Family Services), very few placements are arranged placing northern children outside of the Northwest Territories. The majority of our children are Aboriginal and every effort is made to maintain them within their own culture and environment. Only when all available resources have been exhausted will consideration be given towards placement in another jurisdiction, and then only with the approval and authorization of the child's respective aboriginal community. All provinces/territories maintain similar policies with respect to their children-in-care. *
The NWT has no private, licensed agencies for private adoptions. The birth parents make arrangements with adoptive parents (usually persons known to them). The adoption process is finalized by a lawyer.
Your options are to contact the Child and Family Services office in your community to find out about adoptions within your province/territory. Another resource is the Adoptions Council of Canada, http://www.canadaswaitingkids.ca for more information on children available for adoption across the country.
* If you are interested in adopting an older child, or a child with special needs, please contact Adoption Services at (867) 873-7943 for an Application to Adopt form to begin the approval process.